Shrine To Speed The Next Stop For The Ninja Express Broc Parkes should be back in action along side his team-mate Makoto Tamada for the Monza round of World Superbike, a venue that provides the fastest average lap speed of any WSB racetrack. History and high velocity are established partners at Monza, and although Europe’s oldest remaining permanent racetrack may have been tamed somewhat by the appearance of tight chicanes over the past couple of decades or so, it is still a track where sheer speed and raw corner exit power are as important as slipstreaming and hard braking. The Ninja ZX-10R possesses a strong engine and the Kawasaki World Superbike Team are looking to Monza as a round that offers many opportunities for advancement. Parkes, who suffered a dislocated collarbone in a testing crash last month and therefore missed the recent Assen round, is working hard to be fit and ready for the extreme braking forced generated by the approach to Monza’s three significant chicanes. Having secured a podium at Monza in the Supersport class last year, Broc is certainly no stranger to the slipstreaming techniques which are so often required at a circuit which is arguably the spiritual home of all forms of Motorsport in Italy. Makoto Tamada, himself injured earlier this year after a crash in warm-up at Qatar, cites the 5.793km circuit of Monza as one of his favourite venues and is expecting an even more competitive machinery package to be under his control this weekend. Makoto Tamada: “I had a disappointing and frustrating race at Assen so I’m happy to put this behind me and give it my best shot next weekend. Monza is one of my favourite tracks and we are also expecting new parts, and if all goes to plan and things work out the way I hope, I should have no trouble having a good result and getting closer to the front.” Broc Parkes: “I had the displacement operation to remove the gap between the collarbone and the shoulder and I’m recovering well. I’m still pretty sore all over but I was lucky to not break anything and to have this time in between races to recover. I’ve just started training again and although I’m not 100% fit at the moment, I’ve come a long way so I’m confident I’ll be lined up on the grid at Monza and will do my best.” More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki: Ninja ZX-6R Duo Prepare For A Test Of Pace The fast Monza circuit throws up its unique annual challenge this coming weekend, a challenge which Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara are prepared to meet head-on as the season builds in intensity. With Lascorz having taken the team’s first podium finish at Assen last weekend, spirits are high in the Provec Motocard.com Kawasaki squad, with the aim this weekend to get both riders into the top few positions. Fujiwara, 21-times a WSS podium finisher, scored his more recent career victory at Monza, in 2005, while Lascorz is out for his first Monza podium. Since the last race in Assen the team has been busy making preparations for the Italian weekend, as this unique circuit requires a unique approach in terms of chassis set-up and use of top end power. Heavy braking, quick changes of direction, high-speed stability and slipstreaming are all key at Monza, with particular emphasis placed on making the correct gearing choices for both slipstreaming and running in clean air. After Monza the WSS competitors, along with the WSBK teams, head for Kyalami in South Africa on 17 May, and then a busy month of is rounded out by the US round, at Miller Motorsports Park, on 31 May. Katsuaki Fujiwara: “We didn’t get the result we could have on raceday at Assen, because in practice we started out very fast but had some problems in the race. But we scored points and at Monza I want to have many more. I like Monza, it’s fast in places and has heavy braking in other places. It’s not like anywhere else.” Joan Lascorz: “I felt comfortable on the bike in the previous round and I was running up front, even through we still have some work to do on the set-up of the bike, which is a new model this year of course. We have been making improvements all the time so I hope for more at Monza so that I can have another good result.” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: TROY AND RUBEN LOOKING FORWARD TO MONZA’S FAST STRAIGHTS. The fifth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at the historic Autodromo di Monza and both BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus are looking forward to tackling the 5.793 kilometre circuit. It is one of the few circuits in this year’s calendar where the team have tested already and so, for once, they will be not be starting at a big disadvantage. Monza is renowned for its high speed straights and close finishes and last year’s first race saw the top four separated by just 0.771 at the flag. Race two’s top three were covered by 0.051, with the winner taking the chequered flag by only 0.009 of a second! Troy At least we have tested at Monza this year, so we will not be trying to play catch-up as much as we have to do normally. Monza has some fast straights and is a track where slipstreaming can play an important part. It’s possible to be in fourth place exiting the Ascari chicane on the last lap and still win if you can take advantage of the draft. But, before we even get to that stage, we have to be in a good qualifying situation. Superpole has not worked out well for us so far and considering that, I think we’ve done well to get the top tens we have. I hope that we can qualify better at Monza and get even better results. Ruben Each time out we learn something new about the bike and get ideas about what to do to make it better. The other teams have a big history compared to us and so I feel we have done very well so far. But that doesn’t mean that we all don’t want more, because of course we do. Our top tens are very good, but Troy and I are racers and we are always want to higher finishes. If we can get a good set-up early on (and I can get rid of my ‘black Fridays’), and do well in Superpole, then we might have a better chance of good results. Berti Hauser (Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport) Monza will be interesting for sure, but at least we have been there before. Even so, the experience we gained in our two day test is relatively small compared to our competitors and so we need to do well in practice and qualifying. Superpole has been a problem for us so far and we haven’t been able to get the bike to perform consistently well enough on qualifying tyres in Q1 and Q2. It would be good to get into Q1 and not have to start from the back of the grid for a change. If we could do that, it would be very interesting to see what would happen. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner won his first ever WSBK race at Monza last year and is hoping that history will repeat itself this coming Sunday at the 5.793 kilometre circuit for round five of the 2009 series. His win in the first race was the first by a German rider in the 21-year history of the series and was followed by runner-up spot in race two. Team mate Yukio Kagayama had a mixed day last year, taking fourth in race one and a DNF in race two, so is hoping for an improvement this time round. Max Neukirchner: “Last year was a wonderful occasion for me and I will never forget my first win in World Superbikes. They always say that the first win is the hardest and really I should have got it in Valencia when I was on the way to victory when I go knocked off within sight of the chequered flag. It’s important to have a fast bike at Monza and know how to play the slipstreaming game. It’s easy to be at the front of the pack and lose out on the draft and get beaten to the flag, so it’s something you have to watch out for. I like fast tracks and I think our bike will be well-suited to Monza. For sure, my intention is to finish on the podium in both races and if I can repeat my win of last year, I would be very happy.” Yukio Kagayama: “My season has been a bit up and down and this does not make me so happy so far. I have a good bike and know my results should be a lot better. Sometimes the bike is not so easy because some little changes can produce big effects – and not always in the right direction. But my job is to race, so I and the team have to find ways of making the bike work better so that I can challenge for the podium again. This is what I want, and I will do my best to try and achieve it.” 2008 results: Race 1: 1 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 4 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare). Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Max Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki), 3 Kiyonari (J-Honda), 4 Fonsi Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare). Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) DNF. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group/InFront Motorsports: MONZA 5th ROUND 8th, 9th and 10th MAY 2009 Monza, Tuesday 5th May 2009 Monza gears up for more slipstreaming action in WSBK round 5 The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, deep in the heart of the splendid Monza parkland, is gearing up for this coming weekend’s fifth round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship. This classic high-speed appointment has been part of Superbike since 1990 and this year arrives at its 18th edition. With a lap of 5.793 km Monza is the longest circuit on the calendar and its long straights, wide curves and fast chicanes all help to exalt the power of the bikes, which remain at full throttle for over 50% of the lap. Monza has been the scene for many epic slip-streaming battles in the past, and the winners include all the top names in Superbike racing. The most successful rider of all time at Monza is Troy Bayliss, with six wins to his name, followed by a trio on 4 made up of Pierfrancesco Chili, Carl Fogarty and Fabrizio Pirovano. Amongst current SBK riders, the most successful is Noriyuki Haga on 3, followed by Regis Laconi on 2 and Max Neukirchner on 1. In the manufacturers ranking, Ducati leads the way with 17 wins, followed by Yamaha (7), Honda (6), Suzuki (3) and Kawasaki (1). DUCATI-YAMAHA BATTLE CONTINUES In the last two seasons, Noriyuki Haga has won three of the four races held at Monza, but he did so on a Yamaha, which this year is now in the hands of Ben Spies. The two riders have so far dominated the championship, sharing the wins between them (4 apiece) with the points difference coming from Spies’ three zeros. The Monza round offers the Texan a chance to partly reduce the 60-point gap to Haga, but the Japanese rider will also be galvanized by the fact that Ducati have not won at Monza since 2006 and he will be aiming to interrupt that negative sequence. NEUKIRCHNER ONE YEAR ON Last year the battle between Haga and Neukirchner set the Monza public alight; the German took his first-ever SBK win by 0.058 seconds in race 1 and Haga then took revenge in race 2 by 0.009 seconds! This year Neukirchner and Suzuki have had a mixed start to the season but the Monza circuit could be the best opportunity so far to show off the power of the Japanese four-cylinder machine and to record Suzuki’s first win of the year. LOOSE CANNONS And neither has Honda Europe’s flagship team, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda with its power trio of riders, Carlos Checa, Jonathan Rea and Ryuichi Kiyonari, had a particularly positive start to the season. But like Suzuki, the Monza track has often been a prestigious showcase for the squad, as demonstrated by Kiyonari’s form and third place finish in race 2 last year. Sheer engine power has always been a trademark of the Dutch team, which will be attempting to redress the balance. Luckily for Honda, Stiggy Racing’s Leon Haslam is producing some great results and the British rider could again emerge as a contender for the podium, if not outright victory. Haslam will be flanked in the Swedish team by American Jake Zemke, who will step in for the injured John Hopkins for the Monza round. ITALIANS AT HOME On their home track Italian riders and manufacturers will also be searching for their slice of glory and expectation is especially high to see how well the Aprilia RSV4 will go on such a fast circuit. In the races so far the four-cylinder machine from Noale has demonstrated top speed on a par with its rivals and it could come to the fore on a track where slipstreaming plays such a vital role. On the rider front both Max Biaggi and Michel Fabrizio will be trying to score a first win for an Italian at Monza since Pierfrancesco Chili in 2000. Biaggi is still dealing with the Aprilia RSV4’s teething problems, but the potential is there, while Fabrizio is still looking to make that jump in quality that will take him from being a podium finisher to a race winner. BMW FAST TRACK The opening rounds showed that BMW Motorrad are finding it difficult to make their S 1000 RR machine competitive on technical circuits, but Monza will be an ideal opportunity to get the new bike closer to the front-runners. Troy Corser, a previous winner here in 2005, and Ruben Xaus know the track like the back of their hands and their experience will be vital in the team’s attempts to obtain some good results, especially in view of the second half of the season. SUPERSPORT A healthy balance continues to reign in World Supersport, with exciting racing and a good dose of old-fashioned ‘aggression’ helping to evoke the golden days of the category when the ‘wild bunch’ fought for the win at every race. Monza is looking to provide more of the same, because the power of the various Supersport machines and the track layout make it difficult for anyone to pull out a commanding lead. In a championship in which the top 3 – Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport), Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) are separated by nine points, the Monza round could shuffle the cards considerably seeing as there are numerous other contenders for victory. Starting with reigning champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda), Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) and Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Provec), one of the most interesting youngsters around in Supersport. These could be joined by Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini), the most competitive Italian at the moment. Pirro won the domestic championship CIV race at Monza on Sunday and has fully recovered from his crash at Assen. SUPERSTOCK The third round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup will probably be another private affair between Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda), Xavier Simeon (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) and Claudio Corti (Suzuki Alstare), the three main contenders, with Frenchmen Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Yamaha) and Loris Baz (MRS Yamaha), as well as Italian Davide Giugliano (MV Agusta) aiming to get a look in. In the European Superstock 600 encounter, Danilo Petrucci and his Yamaha Italia team-mate Marco Bussolotti are the favourites for the win, both looking to make up for their errors at Assen. Their chief rivals will be the points leader Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda), Joey Litjens (VD Heyden Yamaha), Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha) and Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Yamaha). More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari is looking forward to this weekend’s (8-10 May) fifth round World Superbike championship event at Monza in Italy and hoping that the impressive power of his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade will bring him more success than of late. The Japanese rider enjoyed a sixth place finish in race one of last year’s event and climbed the podium with third in race two. However, the start of the 2009 campaign has seen Kiyonari struggle for results, other than an impressive fourth in race two at Qatar. Monza is nestled in a royal park just north of Milan in Italy. The iconic 5.8km circuit with some of the most famous features in motorsport, like the Ascari chicane and the Parabolica, is renowned for high speed slipstreaming battles for which Kiyonari believes his Honda is well suited. Ryuichi Kiyonari The last round in Assen was not so good for me. Everything was fine on the first day but after I crashed in free practice on Saturday, I lost some confidence in the front end of the machine. From Superpole through to race two I had no real feeling for the bike. It returned in the second race but then I had a technical problem so was unable to use it. I like Monza and had a good result last year. It requires three days of very intense concentration but the three long straights should suit my bike, which is very fast. If I ride OK and have some luck, I think I will make a good result. Ronald ten Kate team manager Kiyo-san has not had the best start to the season and there have been various issues that we have needed to address, but we know that he can go well at Monza. We developed the bike a little more for Assen but, unfortunately, he didn’t have luck on his side to get the most from it. However, it was a development in the right direction and we will hopefully make another step forward at Monza. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Andrew Pitt and Kenan Sofuoglu head to Monza this weekend (8-10 May) for round five of the 2009 World Supersport championship aiming to get their respective title challenges back on track. Pitt crashed out of the last outing at Assen having struggled with the front end of during qualifying. The Australian reigning world champion was, however, dicing for the lead when he slid off before having his left hand run over by a rival. Sofuoglu, who won at Monza on his way to the 2007 World Supersport title, finished fifth in Assen, but a race win in Australia and third place in Valencia leaves the Turkish ace third in the points standings. Kenan Sofuoglu I was very disappointed with the result from Assen because I was so confident going into the race from the front row. But there was one section of the circuit where I lost a lot of time and I had to push very hard everywhere else, so it was difficult. Monza is nice, though, and we will start again with some extra power which the crew has been looking for after Assen. I like Monza very much and I won in my last Supersport race there. I want to do the same again on Sunday, but there is a lot of work to do before then. Andrew Pitt The hand is pretty good now, although it felt tight for a while after the last race. I’ve been doing some hours on the bike so I should be in good shape for the weekend. It wasn’t a great result in Assen but at least I was at the front after some problems in qualifying. There was a much better feeling with the front end from warm-up and I’m hoping we can find it a bit earlier than that in Monza. It’s a circuit that has its own special place on the calendar and I aim to be up there on Sunday. Ronald ten Kate team manager Assen wasn’t so good for us but it’s clear for everyone to see that this year’s World Supersport championship is a frenetic battle. We aim to be at the front of that battle again at Monza so we have tried to create a little more power with a slightly different engine setting for the new Honda CBR600RR to deal with Monza’s high speeds. We have quite some chassis and suspension settings to try as well, and we hope that these combinations will help us to come out on top. More, from another press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa travel to Monza in Italy this weekend (8-10 May) for round five of the 2009 World Superbike championship. After an indifferent start to the season, the Honda CBR1000RR-mounted pair left the last round at Assen with a more positive feeling for the bike after the team undertook further development work following some disappointing results in round three at Valencia. Rea reaped most from his crew’s efforts and took a seventh and a fifth in the two Dutch races, hindered by some misfortune during Superpole, which led to a relatively lowly qualifying position. However, the 22-year-old Northern Ireland resident left Assen feeling confident and is relishing the weekend’s high-speed battle that Monza invariably delivers. Last season, Checa did not enjoy a fruitful visit to the circuit that nestles in a royal park near Milan, finishing eighth in race one and crashing out of the second outing. The Spaniard, however, is confident of improvement this year. The historic 5.8km Monza circuit is steeped in motorsport legend and, with its long straights punctuated by such iconic features as the Parabolica and the Ascari chicane, is renowned for spectacular slipstreaming battles at speeds of more than 300kph. Jonathan Rea Assen was much more positive for the whole team after a difficult first few rounds. We made some progress with the bike after Valencia and we were able to confirm our findings at Assen. I had some problems during Superpole which led to difficult starts but the races were OK when everything settled down. Monza is very fast, which should suit the bike quite well. I didn’t have much luck last year and lost the clutch in the Supersport race, but it’s an amazing circuit unlike anywhere else in the world and it has some really nice features. I’ll be going there hoping to reward my crew for all the hard work they’ve put in over the last few weeks. Carlos Checa Last year at Monza was not so good for me so I am very confident that things will be better when we visit this season. It’s a very historic circuit and has a great name in motorsport and it has its own special character. As usual, I’m hoping for some good weather that will allow us to get near the front as soon as possible. It might take a little longer this time because our main rivals tested there before Assen but, by Saturday, I hope we’ll be up there. Everyone in the team has been working really hard and there’s a good atmosphere. I don’t think we’ll have an issue with the bike’s power so I aim to be fighting at the front in Sunday’s races. Ronald ten Kate team manager Assen showed us that the developments we made with the bike after Valencia were definitely in the right direction so in Monza we’ll aim to take that development up another step. We haven’t had the best start to the season but we’re confident that we can turn things around during the rest of the year. More, from a press release issued by Parkalgar Honda: Laverty wants more of the same at Monza AFTER winning last time out, Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene Laverty is after more of the same at the fifth round of the World Supersport Championship at Monza in Italy this weekend. Parkalgar Honda’s Miguel Praia is looking for a change in his luck at the super-fast circuit near Milan and to score a top 10 result. The racing starts at 1325 CET and can be watched live on Eurosport. Eugene: “I want more of the same at Monza. It is a new track for me but it doesn’t look like a difficult one to learn as it is a series of fast straights and quick corners. My Parkalgar Honda really suits the fast circuits and on Friday I will want to get out and do a few laps by myself to begin with. After that I’ll want to follow a rider who has been there before that is where having a team mate is great, he can tow me round and really help. I can see the two Yamahas of Crutchlow and Foret being competitive thanks to their outright top speed; as well as the two Ten Kate Hondas of Pitt and Sofuoglu. I won’t know my potential until I get to the circuit but I think a podium is definitely on the cards; I’m not ruling out wining either.” Miguel: “Monza is a track full of character and the Italian fans are great and create a fantastic ambience that I really like. The Parkalgar Honda suits the fast circuits and Monza is one of the quickest of them all. I want to turn my bad luck around for myself and my Parkalgar Honda team, I think we should have delivered a top 10 result by now but we haven’t. To reward all of the team’s hard work I want it this weekend. Monza is not a technically difficult track like Portimao or Brno but if I can get the right result there then it will be one of my favourites for sure.” Simon Buckmaster, Parkalgar Honda Team Manager: “The Parkalgar Honda team is building momentum and a title challenge with Eugene to win two out of the opening four races is a dream start to the season. If anything, Monza should suit the strengths of our CBR600RR and Eugene more than anywhere else with long straights and fast corners, so we are hopeful of another good result. Miguel has shown real potential but yet to convert it into a race result and Monza is a chance for him to show his pace and we expect him to be going for the top 10.”